During the Philippine Blockchain Week 2023, DivinaLaw Senior Partner Atty. Enrique Dela Cruz, Jr. participated as a panelist in the ‘Block Bytes: Blockchain 101 for Government Officials’ event organized by the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) at the Manila Marriott Hotel, Pasay City.
Block Bytes, a series of blockchain 101 sessions for government and students, aims to delve into the multi-faceted challenges of adopting blockchain technology in the public sector.
Speaking on blockchain technology in government operations, Atty. Dela Cruz, Jr. encourages collaboration between the Philippine government and the private sector. “Trust the private sector to do it for them. In other countries like Singapore, they hire private people to do the tech. They [government] should innovate and invest on these matters,” Atty. Dela Cruz, Jr. explained.
He also emphasized the importance of enacting laws related to blockchain systems to safeguard the citizens’ data and promote transparency in the government.
He added, “Currently, there is no law on cryptocurrency. Our policy is half-baked. The government wants to use it but there’s no law about it. The government wants to get the benefits [of blockchain] but we don’t have a policy about it.”
Moreover, Atty. Dela Cruz, Jr. further expounded, “On the matter of security, the blockchain system is the most secure [system]. It solves the problem of manipulation and tampering. [Let’s] focus on the use cases and focus on technology should the government adopt it.”
Atty. Dela Cruz, Jr. was joined on the panel by Atty. Micaela Kristina Galvez, Junior Partner at Gorriceta Law, Atty. Krystal Lyn Uy, Undersecretary for Legal Affairs of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), and Yam Ki Chan, the VP for Strategy and Policy of Circle.
The panel discussion was moderated by Gail Cruz-Macapagal, Head of Women in Blockchain Philippines.
Atty. Dela Cruz, Jr. is the head of DivinaLaw’s Data Privacy, Intellectual Property, Arbitration, and Fintech practice groups.
